The stars of the Ontario Sires Stakes program will shine at Kawartha Downs on Thursday as the Fraserville oval welcomes the three-year-old pacing colts for a single $40,000 Gold elimination.
Reigning Gold Final champion Mystician heads to Kawartha off runner-up finishes in his elimination and the final of Flamboro Downs’ Confederation Cup on Aug. 14 and trainer Jeff Gillis says the son of Camluck and Mystic Mistress bounced back from the two-heat event with an impressive amount of ease.
“He showed at lot of life. I expected him to be kind of dull and tired,” says Gillis. “We intended to skip the Sires Stakes in Kawartha, but he seemed fresh and it didn’t seem to take a toll on him, so we decided to go ahead and race him.”
Jody Jamieson will steer Mystician from the trailing Post 9 in Thursday’s battle, which will see just one colt eliminated from the field that will return to Fraserville for the $130,000 Gold Final on Sept. 1. While Gillis knows there is always risk involved in each race, Mystician has taught him and co-owners Ken Henwood of Mississauga, Mac Nichol of Burlington and Gerald Stay of Buffalo, NY to have a bit of faith.
“He’s always in contention,” points out Gillis. “He doesn’t always win, but he consistently makes money.”
Through 12 starts this season Mystician has posted three wins — one Gold Elimination, one Gold Final and the $500,000 final of the Upper Canada Cup — six seconds and one third for earnings of $566,623. At two the colt made 12 starts, posted five wins and four seconds, and earned $808,670, with his most memorable victory coming in the $1 million final of the Metro Pace, and Gillis says — so long as Mystician continues to enjoy good health — he will be back to compete again next year as a four-year-old.
“He’s a very, very basic horse,” says the Hillsburgh resident. “He has a bit of trouble with allergies and he doesn’t like extreme heat, but he’s just a lovely horse.
“We hope and expect him to be good for years to come,” he adds.
The latest in an impressive line of Camluck offspring from Mystic Mistress, Mystician is the richest of his full-siblings, who include $779,728 winner Camystic and $616,605 winner Lucks Mistress, both Ontario Sires Stakes stars in their own right.
“Camluck has been a tremendous sire,” notes Gillis, who selected Mystician out of the 2009 Canadian Open Yearling Sale for $45,000.
Mystician’s archrival Prodigal Seelster, another son of Camluck, will start from Post 2 in the fourth race on Thursday, with Canadian Breeders Championship winner Camaes Fellow starting from Post 6. Local colt Cam B Zipper, owned and trained by Bill James of Blackstock, will start from Post 8.
Kawartha Downs will send its first race behind the starting gate at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and fans will not have long to wait before the province’s exciting three-year-old pacing colts begin their battle for a Gold Final berth in Race 4.
(courtesy OSS)